Guilt
by Krys33
Summary: Brennan deals with the ramifications of Booth being in the hospital. [BB, HIATUS]
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Just so you know, I know nothing about gunshot wounds or hospital policies beside what I've seen on television. Bear with me here, folks. Just focus on the characters and not the technicalities, and we'll get through this just fine. :)

Also, the third installment of The Weekend is under construction. I'm on vacation, and that plus writer's block is making that a bit difficult. But I'm working on it, and I'll hopefully have that up soon!

--

It had all happened so fast.

Guilt.

She remembered feeling guilty.

After all, she'd spoken with Frank Armstrong at the crime scene. She'd read his file.

He wasn't a dangerous man. He didn't have a violent personality.

He had been polite, respectful, and _sorry_, damnit. He'd seemed _sincere_.

But when Booth pulled his badge, Frank had pulled a gun, firing a bullet into her partner's thigh.

She remembered not even considering chasing after him, even when Booth told her to.

She remembered calling 911 with the cell phone he pressed into her hand.

She remembered screaming at the paramedics until they'd let her ride in the ambulance.

And she remembered gripping Booth's hand with her own as she uttered words of reassurance.

Whether they were meant for his ears or her own, neither could tell.

--

Now she was waking in the hospital room of her partner and friend, her head resting on her arms, folded atop the bedsheets. She blinked to clear her eyes as the events of the night before came flooding back to her.

"Hey, Bones."

Brennan jumped slightly at his voice, sitting up straight to face him.

"You fell asleep."

"So did you." He smirked at her remark. "Why didn't they ask me to leave?"

Booth shrugged. "I told the nurse you were my wife. She seemed to buy it."

"Oh," she replied, blushing slightly before remembering why she was there in the first place. "Have you heard anything yet? About… you know." Without finishing, she gestured lamely at his leg.

"Nothing major. They got the bullet out fine. I was lucky."

"How long are you here for?"

"Awhile. They've gotta make sure it's not infected. Once I'm decently healed up, I can go. But I'll have physical therapy after that." He cleared his throat. "I, uh, probably won't be working for awhile."

"Oh," she bowed her head, slightly embarrassed that she couldn't come up with anything better to say. The silence that settled over them was on the verge of awkward. Brennan took a deep breath. "I… I called Rebecca."

Booth shook his head, trying to stifle his anger as he spoke. "Why would you do that, Bones?"

"She should know what happened, Booth. _Parker_ should know what happened."

"She thinks I'm an unfit father and me being here proves her right! Bones, she thinks what I do is dangerous."

"What you do _is_ dangerous." Brennan stated matter-of-factly.

Booth wiped a hand over his face, frustrated. "What did you say to her?"

"I told her what happened."

He paused, averting his eyes. "And Parker?"

Brennan scooted her chair almost imperceptibly closer to his bedside. She sighed, leaning forward. "She refuses to bring him," she told him quietly.

Booth put his face in his hands for a moment, trying to hide the tears in his eyes. His partner picked up on the tenderness of the situation. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and stood. "I'll call her again."

Before he had time to at least give a weak protest, she was out the door.

--

Out in the hall, Brennan seated herself in one of the waiting stations situated right outside of Booth's room. She pressed redial on her phone and held it to her ear. It rang only once before the same cheery voice from merely hours ago answered. "Hello?"

"Rebecca? It's Dr. Brennan again. I was just wondering if-"

The click on the other end of the line answered her unfinished question, and she angrily jabbed at the end key, muttering hateful words under her breath. Sighing, she pressed redial once more. The "Hello?" was slightly less cheerful this time, as if Rebecca knew who was calling.

Or maybe she was just hearing things.

Before she could stop herself, she was speaking hostilely into the phone. "What is wrong with you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You are keeping a father from his child."

"Parker doesn't need to see Seeley like that."

The way Booth's first name rolled off the woman's tongue made Brennan want to gag. "Like what? Like a man who was injured trying to do the right thing?"

"You don't understand-"

"Booth is in the _hospital_! He has a right to see his son! There isn't anything to understand. Bring Parker here or I swear to God I will hunt you down and bring him here myself. Do _you_ understand?"

The women gave an annoyed sigh and curt response of "Fine," before hanging up.

Brennan returned her phone to her purse, giving the staring patrons a steely glare as she returned to Booth's room. As she shut the door behind her, he spoke.

"Well, you really told her."

She bit her bottom lip. "You heard?"

Booth chuckled. "You were… a little loud." As his smile faded, he asked quietly, "So…?"

Brennan nodded, giving him a small smile. "She's bringing him down."

--

**TBC... **

Only if you want. I could leave it here, but I'd like to hear what y'all think.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Finally, a second chapter! Tell me what y'all think, alright?

--

A bottle of water in hand, Brennan stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button labeled **4**, thankful to be away from the nauseating smell of the hospital cafeteria. When she spotted a blond woman, a sleeping child on one hip, rushing towards her, she reached out and put her arm in the door's path, preventing it from closing.

"Thanks." The woman offered as she boarded, shifting the boy's weight.

Recognizing the child, Brennan's voice was somewhat colder than normal. "What floor?"

"Four."

As the elevator began to ascend, the blond turned towards her.

"Would you by any chance know where room 4421 is?"

"Actually, that's where I'm going." Brennan turned, extending a hand. "Dr. Temperance Brennan."

"Rebecca Hillman." Hesitantly, she accepted the handshake. Pulling away, she gestured at her slumbering son with her now-free hand. "And this is Parker."

Brennan simply nodded as the elevator let out an annoying ding and the doors slid open. "It's this way."

She walked swiftly towards Booth's room, Rebecca working to keep up with the doctor's quick pace.

Temperance pushed open the door of Booth's room, and only after a short internal debate and concern for Parker did she hold the door open for the woman trailing behind her. Rebecca stepped past her, towards the hospital bed, and Brennan hung back near the door. She was slightly shocked at the hostility in the blonde's voice as she spoke.

"I brought him, alright?"

Booth's reply was calm and even. "Thanks."

Rebecca's voice became much softer as she gently jostled the child to wake him. "Parker, honey, wake up."

The boy's voice held traces of drowsiness. "Are we there yet? Can I see daddy now?"

"He's right here, Parker." Rebecca set the boy down on the edge of the hospital bed.

"Daddy!" Parker climbed up his father's body and tackled the man in a hug.

The woman leaned towards her son. "I'm gonna get something to eat, alright? I'll be back to take you home in a little while."

Parker nodded, now sitting beside Booth. Satisfied, Rebecca turned on her heel and left the room, shooting Brennan a withering glare as she passed. Once the blond had disappeared from her line of vision, Temperance seated herself in the chair beside her partner's hospital bed.

Booth leaned down and whispered into his son's ear, causing the boy to smile shyly, turning to Dr. Brennan to offer a friendly "Hello."

"Hi, Parker."

The child looked at his father, then back at Temperance. "Are you my daddy's girlfriend?"

Booth's eyes widened slightly as a blush crept up Brennan's cheeks. He pulled his son into his lap. "No, bud. Bones here is just my friend."

"Bones?" Parker asked, and Brennan gave a small smile as she recognized the curious expression on the boy's face.

"That's her nickname."

"Can I call her Bones, daddy?"

Booth smirked at his partner over his son's head. "I don't think she'd mind that at all."

Brennan tried to shoot him her best _'don't call me Bones'_ look, but realized that she hadn't used it in quite some time. She'd grown used to – even fond of – the name without even noticing it.

She watched on as Parker talked animatedly with his father, using wide gestures and the comical facial expressions of a four-year-old. Every once in awhile, Booth would glance away from his son, meeting her gaze with a look that she couldn't quite read before he would turn away again.

Soon – too soon for both father and son – Rebecca returned from the cafeteria. Hardly waiting for a break in the conversation, she cut in with a "Parker, I think we'd better get going."

"Mommy…" the child drew out the word in a long whine. "Can I have five more minutes?"

"I don't think so. Come on." She held out her hand to the little boy.

Parker threw his arms around his father, giving him a goodbye hug. "Bye, daddy."

"I'll see you later, alright, Parker?"

His son nodded, and thought it was obvious he was trying to hide it, Brennan could see the tears glinting in Booth's eyes.

The last thing that was heard of the retreating pair was a child's voice begging, "Can we come back tomorrow?" and his mother's voice replying with a reluctant "We'll see, Parker. We'll see."

Once the door swung shut, Booth turned to his partner. "Thanks, Bones."

She smiled back at him. "You're welcome."

In silence, they held each other's gazes until Brennan's eyes broke away to look at her watch. She stood, clutching her purse in her hands.

"I have to get back to work."

"Oh." He hoped that the disappointment in his voice wasn't noticeable.

Instead of leaving however, she remained in place, worry evident in her usually emotionless eyes. Booth, noticing this, gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'll be fine, Temperance. Get back to your bones."

Brennan nodded, and moved to leave. Reaching the door, she turned back. "I'll come by later, alright?"

Booth tried to hide his growing grin. "Looking forward to it."

--

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I feel sort of bad for making Rebecca such a bitch…

And I apologize for the long wait! This chapter's slightly shorter than the last two, but I found a good stopping point and figured I'd better post it before you all got impatient and decided to come after me. :)

--

Parker sat cross-legged on the floor, arms folded across his chest, in the empty pre-school classroom. Ms. Gleason and Rebecca stood in front of him. Sighing, Rebecca lowered herself beside her son.

"Parker, honey, it's time to go home now."

"No. I want to see daddy."

"You saw him yesterday. Maybe we'll go later this week, okay?"

"I want to go today!"

"Parker, we can't-"

"Today! I want to see daddy today!"

Rebecca stood, frustrated, and crossed the room as she pulled out her cell phone. She dialed the hospital number and waited as she was directed to Booth's room.

He answered with a casual, "Yeah?"

"You need to talk to your son."

Booth was taken aback by the statement. "Why?"

"He wants to see you."

"And I want to see him. What's the problem?"

"I don't have time for this, Seeley!"

"Look, I'll have someone pick up Parker and bring him over here if it's such an inconvenience."

"I don't want-"

"Do you want me to deal with this or not?" He took her silence as an answer. "Just come get him later, alright?"

"Whatever."

And without a goodbye, she ended the call.

--

Brennan peered intently at the skeleton laid out on the table in the center of the lab. In the midst of jotting a note on her clipboard, her cell phone rang, jarring her from her thoughts. A bit agitated by the interruption, she set down the papers and picking up her phone. Her greeting was more tense than usual. "Brennan."

"Hey, Bones."

Realizing the identity of her caller, her voice noticeably softened. "Hello, Booth."

"I, uh, wanted to ask for a favor."

All thoughts of the remains on her table were gone from her mind. "What do you need?"

"Could you pick up Parker? He wants to see me."

"Of course." She immediately began heading towards her office, shedding her lab coat along the way.

"Thanks, Temperance. His school's over on 21st. You think you can find it?"

"I'll be fine." Brennan quickly exchanged the long blue coat for her blazer and grabbed her purse. "I'll see you soon, Booth."

"I owe you one."

--

Temperance Brennan made her way along 21st Street, spotting a small elementary school on her left. She pulled into the first available spot, climbing out of her car and entering the building.

After getting directions at the office, she made her way to Parker's classroom. When she entered, the boy threw himself at her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Brennan worked to steady herself after the sudden, unexpected impact. The young boy peered upwards, still latched onto her. "Bones! Are you gonna take me to see daddy?"

She smirked, noticing the child remembered his father's nickname for her. "Yes I am, Parker."

Grinning, the boy grabbed hold of her hand and began to pull her towards the door, pausing only to wave goodbye to his mother on his way out.

After helping Parker buckle himself into one of the rear seats, she herself climbed into the driver's side of her car. The vehicle was only silent for a moment, her young passenger speaking up as she pulled the car back out onto the street.

"Bones?"

She glanced into the rearview mirror, sneaking a look at the child before moving her eyes back to the road. "Yes?"

"Why don't you have a carseat like daddy does?"

"I don't have any kids, Parker." Brennan was a bit wary about this line of conversation, worried about where it could be headed.

"Why not?"

And that was the question she'd been dreading. Temperance took a deep breath. "I... haven't found the right person yet." She thought that saying she didn't want children might not be the right thing to say to a kid.

"Oh." The boy lapsed into silence for a few seconds. "What about daddy? Is _he_ the right person?"

Brennan glad Parker couldn't see her, because her eyes had widened considerably and her jaw had dropped before she'd noticed and pulled her mouth shut. "I don't know, Parker."

Glancing in the mirror again, she saw the boy smiling. "You'd make a good mommy, Bones."

She was surprised she even made out a reply. "You really think so?"

Parker nodded. "Yup. Daddy does too."

Brennan smirked. "And how do you know that?"

"He said so. On the phone. I don't think he knows I heard him."

She laughed. "I don't think so, either."

But she was glad that he had.

--

TBC...

Review, please!


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